In 2011, South Korean director Kim Han-min made the year’s highest-grossing movie, based on the tale of 17th-century Korean warriors battling Chinese invaders. His next period film turns cannons against a Japanese naval incursion and is likely to find a favorable reception amid increasing animosity against Korea’s neighbor to the east.

“Roaring Currents,” released next week in South Korea, portrays the most famous battle led by Yi Sun-shin, who in 1597 outwitted and defeated a Japanese fleet that far outnumbered his own. The admiral is known as South Korea’s greatest war hero; his statue guards the main boulevard in downtown Seoul.

Yi is played by Choi Min-sik, an acclaimed film actor who is best-known internationally for his protagonist role in director Park Chan-wook’s mystery thriller “Oldboy” (2003).

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While an all-star cast and battle scenes created with computer-generated imagery are likely to be the main attractions, the film may also get a boost from an ongoing diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Seoul over an array of historical issues tied to Japan’s colonization of Korea. Opinion polls show deteriorating public views in both nations about the other country.

Speaking after a press screening, the movie’s director played down the political significance of his work, saying the admiral was a universally-appreciated historical figure that even the Japanese public can respect.

“I hope this film is released in Japan and can help them learn about the history they don’t know about. I hope this helps us learn more about each other,” said Mr. Kim, who also wrote the screenplay.

Mr. Choi was less diplomatic in his interpretation.

“This film tells the truth. It shows how a wrong choice from a leader can result in futile and cruel deaths of its people,” he said, in what appeared to be a thinly-veiled attack on the current Japanese leadership.

The film’s planned release in some theaters in the U.S. on Aug. 8 will put it at loggerheads with “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” the reboot of the popular TV series by South African director Jonathan Liebesman.